Celebrating MNPS Teachers at Thanks A Million

[May 6, 2023] PENCIL, in partnership with the Kids In Need Foundation (KINF), kicked off Teacher Appreciation Week with a massive giveaway on the first Saturday in May. Almost 500 MNPS educators signed up to take part in the distribution, which took place at Pearl-Cohn High School. Some attendees were so excited that they showed up before our team arrived!

As PENCIL staff and volunteers finished setting up, Joel Wright, DG PENCIL Box Director of Programs, greeted teachers by name and encouraged them to indulge in some tasty Loveless Cafe biscuits and jams while they waited. “Look at this crowd!” he said. “This is a great way to show appreciation for everything our teachers do. We are so thankful that Kids In Need Foundation is putting on this event.”

Pearl-Cohn Executive Principal Dr. Miriam Harrington, accompanied by her English bulldog, was also there to welcome teachers. “It’s great seeing teachers come out and be appreciated by the community and bringing people to North Nashville to see Pearl-Cohn and where we are today.” Dr. Adrienne Battle, Director of Schools, also dropped by to thank teachers and pose for selfies with many of them.

KINF played a major role in providing access to goods including 3M air purifiers, tape, lanyards, and candy, and the Marine Toys for Tots Literacy Program provided books and a Marine to hand them out. The last stop was a drawing for more prizes, including roundtrip tickets to anywhere Southwest Airlines flies. One lucky ticket winner was Rachel Watson, a 4th grade English Language Arts and Social Studies Teacher at Eakin Elementary, who said, “I love my kids, and I love my school. We work really hard, and this is awesome that [PENCIL and the Kids In Need Foundation] are throwing something that supports us and our work.”

PENCIL was one of four teacher resource centers to participate in the second annual Thanks A Million, along with others in Portland, OR; Dayton, OH; and Minneapolis, MN, where KINF is based. We look forward to serving more teachers next year and are honored to have been asked to participate in what is sure to become the premiere teacher appreciation event in the country.